Stay ActiveA-Z of activities - C
Canoeing
Canoeing offers a wide range of activities, from competition to journeying on rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters. Local clubs offer courses for beginners that teach the basic techniques and safety. The governing body focuses on a canoeist's ability rather than any disability and many regattas include events for people at different levels of proficiency.
More information on canoeing/kayaking
- British Canoe Union
- www.bcu.org.uk
- Paddlesport for All
- Part of the British Canoe Union
www.startpaddlesport.org.uk
Climbing
As well as being able to climb in areas of outstanding beauty such as the Lake District and the Peak District, there are now hundreds of climbing walls and towers across the country. The walls have slopes that vary in difficulty, providing a range of climbs to suit all abilities. These include easy angled scramblers for people with limited mobility. An alternative to climbing is abseiling. At some centres this is possible in a wheelchair, or you can leave your chair behind and 'hang free'.
Climbing up the wall with MS? - Open Door article
- British Mountaineering Council
- www.thebmc.co.uk
- Calvert Trust
- www.calvert-trust.org.uk
Cricket
WG Grace is considered to have played the biggest role in popularising the game of cricket. It is played at various levels from local village leagues through to county and test level. Local clubs usually have several teams of varying ability. If you want to be involved in the game but not as a player, you could act as scorer for a local team, or give up some time to help with the organisation and administration of the club.
- England Cricket Board
- www.ecb.co.uk
- Play Cricket
- www.play-cricket.com
- British Association for Cricketers with Disabilities
- www.bacd.co.uk
Cue Sports
Covers snooker, billiards and pool.
- English Association for Snooker and Billiards
- www.englishsnooker.com
- English Pool Association
- www.epa.org.uk
- British Wheelchair Pool Players Association
- www.bwppa.org
Curling (Wheelchair)
Curling is a very strategic team game played on ice and involves sliding 'stones' towards a target. Players wear special non-slip footwear rather than skates and wheelchairs can be used on the ice. The rules of the wheelchair game are similar to those of the general game.
More information on wheelchair curling
- Royal Caledonian Curling Club
- Administers the game in the UK.
www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org
Cycling
Picture courtesy of Tim Snowdon/Sustrans
Cycling is an activity that can be enjoyed by almost everyone, whether it is local trips to work or the shops, family rides or cycling holidays. The National Cycle Network provides over 8000 miles of routes throughout the UK, one third of which are on paths free from traffic. The rest are on quiet lanes or traffic calmed roads in towns and cities. There is a wide variety of bikes available for those with mobility problems, including tandems, trikes, trailer bikes and recumbent cycles.
- British Cycling
- www.britishcycling.org.uk
- Sustrans - The Sustainable Transport Charity
- www.sustrans.org.uk
- Tandem Cycling
- www.tandem-club.org.uk